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puzzled?

this is a crossword puzzle i did this morning. i try to wait until lunch to do the one in the paper each day, but i often can't wait, and i have to do it in the morning. i just can't stop myself.

what is that about?

is it just because i love words so much? i mean, truth be told, i've been known to do the crossword, the cryptoquip, the jumble, the wordwarp and the other words games in the newspaper leaving only one puzzle undone: the sudoku, which thankfully, i don't have to pronounce as i write it, because i have yet to hear a definitive pronunciation. in any case, i'm no great lover of numbers, so is that all there is to it? i just love words, so i do the crossword? or is there something deeper going on?

i recently visited a woman in a hospital. she wasn't in a great state of mind, but she was working on a puzzle. it was one of my favorite hospital visits ever! the puzzle was a patchwork quilt, and i couldn't resist helping her search for a few pieces. so, my crossword addiction reveals itself to be something about solving puzzles, i think.

but what is that about?

do i need to schedule an emergency appointment with my therapist? i mean, obviously its not just me, since they print these puzzles in the paper every day. there must be at least a few of us who like to do them. but why?

i'm not just setting up here to slam you with some amazingly powerful and meaningful point. i am seriously asking for your ideas. i mean, i have a suspicion that i might have something to with a deeply human need to try and fill in the blanks and answer the questions and fix the broken, but that's just greg's theology kicking in again. what about you? any puzzle solvers out there? why are we like this?

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My mom loves puzzles. One year, for her birthday, I didn't buy her a puzzle. I thought she might like something different. Her reaction was enough. She was quite disappointed that she didn't receive her token birthday puzzle. I haven't disappointed her since. And, anything less than 1,000 pieces is "too easy".

I don't have any answers for you, just that you are not alone. Keep doing the puzzles. They keep your brain sharp.

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